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How Healthy Are Peaches?

“Peaches combine two groups of pigments that you don’t often see together in other fruits and vegetables,” said Mary Ann Lila, a distinguished professor in the Plants for Human Health Institute at North Carolina State University. Their signature sunset colors come from flavonoids and carotenoids — chemicals plants produce as a defense mechanism against insects and the harmful effects of sunlight. Research suggests that people who eat a diet rich in flavonoids, which produce peaches’ red and pink shades, tend to have a lower risk of heart disease.

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 The Crazy Health Benefits of Peaches

This sun-kissed fruit, beloved for its velvety skin and sweet, fragrant flesh, is more than just a summer delight. Packed with nutrients and health benefits, peaches are a powerhouse disguised in a blush of red, orange, and yellow.

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All the Health Benefits of Eating Peaches

From eye health to skin health to heart health, peaches aren’t the pits!

Are Peaches Good for You? An RD Shares 7 Surprising Health Benefits

This fruit is an anti-inflammatory superhero. There's just something about biting into a fresh-picked stone fruit that's so ripe it drips down your chin, or diving into a slice of warm peach pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream melting on top. Mess factor and all, peaches are perfect. Plus, according to an expert, peaches are one of the healthiest fruits you can eat.

Are Peaches Good for You? Health Benefits of Peaches

Peaches are an indulgently sweet stone fruit whose season never seems to be long enough. They’re so sweet, in fact, that you may be left wondering if peaches are good for you.

Can the iconic Georgia peach keep growing in a warming South?

Shorter, milder winters are threatening the state's most celebrated fruit. Scientists and farmers have a plan to adapt.

Canned Peaches Are As Nutritious As Fresh. Really?

What explains this? The reasons some of these nutrients are higher, says Christine Bruhn, a food scientist at the University of California, Davis, is that the "canning process opens the cell walls of the fruit's flesh, and it makes nutrients such as vitamin A more readily available to our body." She says it's the same reason there tends to be higher levels of lycopene in tomato sauce compared with fresh tomatoes.

Discover the Amazing Benefits of Peaches for Your Health

Peaches (Prunus persica) are packed with nutrients. Did you know that just one medium peach contains about 58 calories, making it a perfect snack? They’re low in calories but high in vitamins C and A, as well as fiber. These nutrients flood your body with antioxidants which help fight off free radicals. Not only that, but they help keep your skin clear and glowing! According to a study by the American Institute for Cancer Research, fruits like peaches are linked to a lower risk of certain types of cancer. The rich content of phenolic compounds found in peaches contributes to their cancer-fighting power. That statistic is definitely something to feel good about!

Fuzzy and full of nutrients, peaches are a summertime staple

Known for their golden orange color and delicate, fuzzy skin, peaches are packed with vitamin C and other antioxidants, which research suggests may help prevent heart disease, stroke and cancer. The fresher and more ripe they are, the more antioxidants they contain. They're low in fat, high in potassium and free of cholesterol and sodium. They also are loaded with fiber, both soluble and insoluble, which improves satiety and can contribute to good digestion and gut health.

Health Benefits of Peach

Peach! Isn't it yummy? Well, this fruit has many health benefits. Peaches are kind of like cousins to roses. And get this – peaches even went on a space trip! Back in 1996, the peach seeds floated around in space for about two weeks before coming back to Earth. And guess what happened next? Those space-traveled seeds were planted right here, making peaches a part of a cosmic journey! How cool is that?

How Peaches Can Help You Build Muscle

Not that you want Madonna's arms or anything (speaking of which, what do you think of her Gladiator-esq biceps--wow, or whoa?), but who wouldn't like their muscles to be a bit more defined, a bit more toned, a bit more, well, muscular? Apparently, peaches can help. The potassium rich fruit is loaded with potassium, an ingredient your muscles need to stay svelte. Here's what RealAge had to say on the topic.

Onward Journal: The Perfect Peach

There were a lot of peaches that year that turned out to be good ones, but no single peach was perfect. I eventually learned that perfect peaches don’t actually exist. Perfection of any food—strawberries, apricots, oranges—is elusive. With each new breeding cycle, you just make a variety slightly better.

Peaches 101: Types, Origin + 10 Health Benefits!

Rich in Nutrients. Peaches are nutritious and contain essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, A, potassium, and niacin. They also contain small amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and some B vitamins. One medium-sized peach has about 68 calories.

The Best Peach on Earth

In the U.S., peach technology produces a very different product. "It's unfortunate that many of our peaches are bred to have superior shelf life and exterior color," says Karen Caplan, chief executive of Frieda's Inc., a Los Alamitos, Calif., high-end distributor of imported and domestic produce. "The growers don't focus on flavor. They refrigerate them in transit, put them on the shelf, and they go mealy." "The whole fruit industry in this country is about decorating stores," says John Driver, a Modesto, Calif., apricot grower who sends his fruit to farmers markets around San Francisco. "They're looking for size, color and hardness, but people don't want to eat the things."

The Health Benefits of Peaches Are Truly Peachy Keen

With their sunset-like blend of red and orange hues as well as their tantalizingly sweet scent, peaches are sure to catch your attention while you’re scoping out the farmers’ market, just like a soulmate you're destined to meet. But their perks aren’t just skin deep. “When you cut into a good peach, it’s like cutting into an avocado,” says registered dietitian Keri Gans, M.S., R.D.N. “There's nothing like that perfect peach,” she adds. Bite into the ripe fruit and you'll be met with a juicy, soft, melt-in-your-mouth taste and texture — not to mention a ton of good-for-you nutrients.

Resources

6 Health Benefits of Peaches

Peaches are stone fruits with a number of health benefits. They are a source of fiber, support your immune system, and provide antioxidants. Another quality of peaches is that they are versatile if you want to add them to your diet.